1799 - Racoon and Intrépide


 
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Naval History of Great Britain - Vol II
1799 Racoon and Intrépide 369

until three years after the capture of the Egyptien and her three consorts ; and yet there can be little doubt that he would have been promoted immediately, had the usual letter been transmitted to the admiralty. We presume, however, that the board did, at a subsequent day, become acquainted with the particulars of the Solebay's performance, as Admiral Parker was directed to signify to Captain Poyntz their lordship's high approval of his conduct.

One only of the four vessels captured by the Solebay, was found calculated to serve in the British navy. The Eole, or Eolan, as named in Steel, a fine fast-sailing corvette of 395 tons, became afterwards the 18-gun ship-sloop Nimrod, and continued for several years to be an active cruiser.

On the 3d of December, in the morning, the British 18-gun brig-sloop Racoon (16 carronades, 32-pounders, and two long sixes), Captain Robert Lloyd, being about five miles from Dover, observed an enemy's lugger board a merchant brig. Instantly the Racoon made sail, and, after a running fire of about 40 minutes, laid the lugger alongside. A smart fire was then maintained by both vessels, until the lugger, which was the lntrépide, of Calais, mounting 16 guns (probably 4-pounders), with a crew of 60 men, having had her foremast and bowsprit shot away, and being otherwise much damaged, struck her colours.

The Racoon had all her fore shrouds on the starboard side shot away, and her foremast badly wounded : her loss, however, was trifling, amounting, out of her crew of 120 men and boys, to only two wounded, the captain (slightly) and one seaman. The loss of the Intrépide amounted to 13 killed and wounded ; a loss which, coupled with the privateer's disabled state, proves how resolutely her commander, Citizen Saillard, his officers and crew, had defended their vessel, and that, too, against an opponent of a most decided superiority of force. The injured state of the Racoon's foremast prevented her from pursuing the brig ; which was the Melcombe, from London to Plymouth, with malt, The Intrépide was quite a new vessel, and, for a lugger, of very large dimensions, measuring nearly 200 tons. The Racoon measured 317 tons.

On the 17th of December, at 9 a.m., while the British 18-pounder 36-gun frigate Glenmore, Captain George Duff ; and 12-pounder 32-gun frigate Aimable, Captain Henry Raper, having in charge an outward-bound West India convoy of between 40 and 50 sail, were off the island of Porto-Santo, steering to the south-west with a fresh breeze from north-west by north, one of the convoy made the signal for a strange sail in the south by west. At 9 h. 30 m. the Aimable discovered three sail ; two of which appeared to be ships of war, and the third a large merchant ship without topgallantmasts. They were, in

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